


I will be the anchor to your runaway train tonight.

by protect_rosie



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: M/M, Runaway, Tumblr: otpprompts, otpprompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 09:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3482903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protect_rosie/pseuds/protect_rosie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shelby's tired of the way his parents treat him, and ever since his dad got out of jail, it's become even worse. He's going to run away, yeah, that's it. The perfect solution.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I will be the anchor to your runaway train tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> title from _Runaway_ on The Word Alive's album, _REAL._  
>  quote from _If I'm James Dean, Then You're Aubrey Hepburn_ on Sleeping With Sirens' album, _With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear_.  
>  based on the prompt: _Imagine your OTP running away from their homes as teens and A slowly falling in love with B while they sleep under highways and hitchhike from city to city (whether A tells B is up to you)._ from otpprompts on tumblr.  
>  first of a two part set. part two coming soon to an archive near you. hope y'all enjoy!! kudos/comments are always welcome.

_can’t promise that things won’t be broken, but I swear that I will never leave._

__**S:** hey.  
**K:** hello. what’s up?  
**S:** can you come over and pick me up? we can have dinner, I’ll pay, I just really need to talk to you about something. urgent.  
**K:** uh, yeah sure. let me just tell Katie that I won’t be able to make it to our dinner and then I’ll be right over.  
**S:** oh shit, you were supposed to have dinner with Kat?  
**S:** I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get in the way of that. you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.  
**K:** are you kidding? of course I’m going. you’re my best friend, you come before any of my friends, even Katie.  
**S:** thank you. it means a lot that you’re going to cancel your date for me.  
**S:** I’ll be waiting up front.  
**K:** ok. see you there.  
**K:** and don’t worry about it. I know you’d do the same for me.

“Hey,” Kevin says as he looks at Shelby worriedly. “What are you doing with that bag?”

“I’ll tell you over dinner, okay?” he replies, closing the door and settling in. “Let’s just go to dinner right now, and I’ll tell you then.”

“Alright, where do you want to go?”

“Our usual meeting place.”

“Okay.”

Kevin then drives in silence, only looking at Shelby when there’s a red light. He doesn’t notice anything different except for the fact that Shelby seems a bit more relaxed than usual. Probably didn’t fight with his parents today, Kevin thinks. Kevin’s glad to see Shelby like this - it’s been a while since he’s been like this, ever since Shelby’s dad got out of prison. 

When they get there, Kevin notices that Shelby takes a long look at the building, he never does that. He usually goes inside as soon as he gets there.

“Hey, you alright?” Kevin asks, holding the door open for Shelby.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replies. “Let’s just go inside and order. I’m really hungry. I haven’t eaten since two days ago.”

“Dude, that’s not healthy at all. Why haven’t you eaten anything?”

“There’s nothing at home to eat, there’s no money to buy anything. I barely have any to invite you to dinner tonight.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you call me?” Kevin says, low enough for only Shelby to hear. “You could’ve called and spent the night at my place. Your health-”

“Yeah I know,” Shelby says as they’re seated, interrupting Kevin. “My health is more important to you than anything else. But stop and think for a minute on how embarrassing that would have been for me. I don’t want you to think that I’m only your friend because you give me things. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.”

“But I don’t feel sorry for you, Shelby, I’m trying to help you. I’m your friend that’s what I do. I don’t fucking want to get another call from the hospital at three in the morning telling me that you’re there again.”

“Please don’t ever mention that again,” Shelby says. “Please.”

“No, but I have to. Otherwise you won’t understand that I’m only trying to help you because I love you and you’re my best friend.”

“Listen, I’m not going to try to kill myself again. I learned enough the first time.”

“So what are you going to do? Why did you call me to have dinner with you tonight?”

Before Shelby can answer, a waitress approaches them and takes their order. They order the usual things - a cheeseburger and waffle fries with a large Sprite. They’re silent as they wait for their order to come back, and it’s not another fifteen minutes until they start speaking again. Kevin takes a bite before he decides to ask Shelby another question.

“So,” he says, calmly wiping the left corner of his mouth. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“I’m going to run away,” Shelby calmly replies. “I’m tired of the way my mom treats me and the way both my parents treat me. I could deal with my mom when my dad was inside, but now that he’s out, it’s a different ballgame. She encourages him to yell at me just like he encourages her. It’s like I can never do anything right for them, and I’m just tired of it. I’m running away.”

Kevin stared at him, eyes agape, “You’re what?”

“I’m leaving this fucking town. There’s nothing left here for me anyway.”

“Excuse me? What the fuck do you mean there’s nothing left for you here? What about me?”

“No offense dude, but I don’t think even you could make me stay. I’ve made my decision.”

“Oh wow, okay. It’s nice to know that I don’t mean anything to you.”

“No.. I.. didn’t.. I didn't fucking mean that and you know it.”

“Okay then,” Kevin says, setting his burger back down. “When are we leaving?”

“We?” Shelby asks, an eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah, you heard me, _we_. When are we leaving? I say we because there is no way in hell that I’m letting you do this alone.”

“What about Kat?”

“What _about_ Kat? I was thinking of dumping her anyway.”

“Dude, you’ve been going out with her for four and a half years. You can’t just do that.”

“The hell I can and I will. I think she’s interested in someone else anyway.”

“Really? Who?”

“My brother,” he says.

“No, not Joe.”

“Yeah, Joe.”

Shelby gets quiet and thinks for a bit. Both continue eating their meal as if they hadn’t just discussed all that they did. They take bites out of their burgers, pop a fry or two in their mouths, chew and swallow, take a drink of their Sprite, and repeat. It’s another ten minutes, when they’re all done and they’re back in the car, that someone speaks again. 

“I was thinking of leaving today,” Shelby says quietly. “I don’t know where I want to go yet, but I do know that I want to get as far away as I possibly can.”

“I’d have to get the rest of my money out of the safe, a couple of my credit cards, some clothes and my essentials, but yeah, I think we can leave today,” Kevin says, slowly coming to a stop at the red light.

“Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you’re not going to see the rest of your friends for a really long time.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. You always come first, remember that.”


End file.
